Liquid cooler



Jan. 16, 1951 H. w. KLI-:IsT 2,538,016

LIQUID COOLER Filed Sept. 18, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet JI 2 I* we II I I Il III I II I II I II I I I I| i II II I II |I |I I I I| I I I II I I' I II| I |I II I II I I: I I I II II II I I| I I| I Il I II II I I I I I I Il I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 1 f' T' l ll l y I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I I I I I H. W. KLEIST LIQUID COOLER Jan. 16, 1951 .15 d 6 n n wm f m y ,m v nv m I n s a 3 w W x. ,W Il. IIIM. lll Il lll -i 1%. WIJ TQmx ...lvm :E Mm MEE... o L IL x mx u Timm. .W N\ bw. .0. NN.. Wm.. P:15E: WNW n z X TSN. kx ma \N rv Q wm. m -:I:- .m 1 E-,F r1. A mm. .3 QJww .L 8 r I l I I I l I I I I I l I I I I l I I I I l l I I l I I \,P Ni 4 l I I I I I I I l l l I l l l l l Il. l ||J|}\ `\\u\ \\\A m. r I\ -wf I-- w N1 w u. Q

Jan. 16, 1951 H. w. KLEIST 2,538,016

LIQUID COOLER Filed Sept. 18', 1948 3 :Shasta-Sheet f5 gi/Mm' PatentedJan. 16, 1951 UNITED STATES `PATENT i OFFICE Refrgerating Company rationof Illinois Chicago, Ill., a. corpo- Application September 18, 1948,Serial No. 49,943

4 Claims.

My invention relates to an improvement in liquid coolers, and applies,for example, to water coolers.

One purpose is to provide an improved mechanism for cooling water.

Another purpose is to provide a cooling system or mechanism for coolingwater or other liquids in the course of their more or less continuousow.

Another purpose is to provide an improved liquid or water coolingstructure in which one effeet may be to build up a layer of ice alongthe path of circulating water.

Another purpose is to provide a water cooler of the ice-forming type inwhich a plurality of water paths are provided between the intake and theoutlet.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of thespecification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings where- 1n:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section, with parts broken away;

Figure 2 is a plan View, with the cover removed, and with parts brokenaway;

Figure 3 is a section, on an enlarged scale, on the line 3--3 of Figure2-;

Figure 4 is an endview with parts in dotted line; and

Figure 5 is a cycling diagram, with the heat exchange portionillustrated in perspective.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specificationand drawings.

Referring to the drawings, I generally indicates an insulated containeror housing having an insulated bottom 2, insulated ends 3 and d,insulated sides 5 and 6, and removable insulated cover members l, 8. Thedetails and structural features of the housing do not, of themselves,form part of the present invention, but I illustrate any suitableinterior insulation 9 which may, for example, be of cork, surrounding aninner tank Il), and provided with any suitable exterior layer II. Anysuitable flexible or compressible gasket or packing I2 may be employedfor sealing the connection between the cover members 1 and 8 and therest of the housing.

Positioned within the housing are a plurality of parallel plates. Itwill be understood that any suitable number may be employed, but, asshown in Figures 2 and 5, I illustrate four. I prefer to employ plateshaving plane walls. It will` 'be understood, however, that a widevariety of plates may be employed, and that plane walls are a preferencerather than a necessity. The particular plates I illustrate areso-called vacuum plates, in which the interior of the plate is partiallyevacuated of air, in order to maintain the side walls of the plate inproper heat transmitting relationship with an evaporatorcoil positionedwithin the plate. Referring, for example, to Figure 3, I illustrate aplate formed of spaced,

parallel side walls I5 and I6. I illustrate one of the walls as havingedge flanges I'I which form side or end walls for the plate. The wallsI5 and I6 may be secured together, as at I8, to define and surround aninner area which may be partially exhausted as through the fitting I9,with its valve ball 20 and its threaded closure 2 I, which may beinserted after air has been withdrawn from the interior of the plate byany suitable instrumentality, not herein shown.

22 indicates an evaporator coil. It will be understood that any suitableeutectic may be ernployed partially to fill the interior of the plate inthe space outside of the coil 22. However, under normal circumstances, Ido not employ an eutectic, since it is not, in general, necessary whenthe plate is used in cooling liquids, as will later appear. In order tomaintain a proper temperature within the plates I may employ anysuitable means. I illustrate, for example, a motor 25 driving acompressor 2B through any suitable belt 21. 28 is a passage extendingfrom the coinpressor 26 to any suitable condenser assembly 29. 30 is apipe extending from the condenser 29 to any suitable receiver 3I. Fromthe receiver 3I a liquid refrigerant supply duct 32 extends. 33 is anysuitable expansion valve or means for causing a pressure drop. From itextend supply ducts 34 to each ofthe four plates illustrated in Figures2 and 5. It will be understood that the plates are arranged in parallel,and that the volatile refrigerant, in liquid form, but at reducedpressure, flows through the supply ducts 34 to the evaporator coils 22of the individual plates. The evaporated refrigerant then flows fromeach plate by an outlet duct 35 to a manifold 36, whence extends the lowpressure return pipe 31 to the low pressure supply of the compressor 26.

The result is the provision of four plates which, for convenience, Iwill indicate as A, B, Cl and D,

and which are shown as parallel and as spaced members 40 land 42insertable into and removable as a unitfrom the tank or container.

Thstructure herein shown may advantageously be u'sedsv ameans for4coyolingf-wate'r or other liquids. 'ssume that it isused formaintaining a flow or supply of cooled water. I provide an inletmanifold 5U which may receive water, for

example, from an inlet P196. 5i t6 which the manifold may be removablysecured, 4,as by suitable bolts 52'.` rWhe'nr the manifold" disconnectedfrom the pipe 5I, the plate structure may readily be dropped into orremoved from the tank or container.V Extending from the manifold 50 area plurality of spouts 53,of which'veare shown, a jet of water being thusprojected into each of the three interplate spaces and into the narrowerspaces. between the outsidegplates and the opposed sides of the tank. Itwill be understood that the water is preferably maintained at a leveladequate substantially or completely to cover the plates. The maximumlwater level may be controlled, for 'examplefbyproviding top outlets orspillways 54, 55, which are shown as at'slightly different levels. Thusa predetermined excess inflow will bring the upper spillway passage I55into play to supplement the lower passage 54. In the normal use of thedevice the cooling water to be used or recirculated is withdrawn througha single lower outlet 56. It is shown as positioned at the same end ofthe tank as the manifold 50, but it will be understood that it may bepositioned at the opposite end of the tank, if desired, as shown indotted line at the left end of Figure 1. In either event, it will beunderstood that a circulation or recirculation of Water takes placealong and between the plates.

Preferably, I so control the temperature of the plates, for example, bya proper adjustment of the pressure reduction valve assembly 33, toform, under normal conditions, a sheet or layer of ice on the exteriorof the plate walls i 5 and i6. Since this ice may be formed-and willserve as a storage or stand-by of refrigeration, I may prefer todispense with the use of an eutectic within the plates. In order toprevent a complete or undue closure or restriction of the space betweenand along the plates, I illustrate a control member` or bulb 60 `whichmay be suitably connected, in a circuit not herein shown, whereby, whena predetermined temperature drop takes place, or a predeterminedthickness of ice is deposited, operation of the motor 25, and thus ofthe compressor 26, is interrupted until an increase in temperature or areduction in the thickness of the ice ylayer again permits the motor to'operate.

It will be realized that, whereas, I have described and illustrated apractical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made inthe size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing fromthe spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawingsto be taken as in a broad sense illustratlve or diagrammatic, ratherthan as limiting me to my precise showing.

It will be understood that, under many circumstances, it may beadvantageous to have a eutectic in the space within the walls i5 and Itand exterior to the coil 22, to provide a hold-over or storage feature.Thus the cooling effect is increased by employing the Btu of theeutectic as well as of Whatever ice forms on the plate.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

In the operation of the above described mechanism I illustrate a tank inwhich a plurality of refrigerating plates are used to define parallelpaths. The number of plates may be indefinitely varied, or, in dealingwith a sufficiently narrow passage, I might have merely a single plate.However, in most applications, a multiple plate structure is preferable,defining a multiple path between the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet.

I find it advantageous, in the multiple plate,

A multiple passage structure, to employ a. water delivering manifold ordistributor 50 from which extend a plurality of outlet or deliverynozzles 53. Each of these nozzles is aligned with and 4delivers water toone of the defined passages. Preferably, the discharge end of each suchnozzle is located above the normal water level. because this sets up acirculation and turbulence of the water in response to the impingementof the water jet against and through the surface of the water. Thiscauses a movement of the water, and, in effect, a recirculating orturbulent action, which subjects a maximum volume of the water to thedirect abstraction effect of the ice -or of the cold plates, in theevent that ice has not formed. I may, if I Wish, employ, also, aplurality of withdrawal passages at the other end of the tank, but undernormal circumstances I find it satisfactory to use only the singleoutlet duct, as shown at 5B.

A primary advantage of the turbulence or recirculating action is that,after the ice has formed on the plates, the ice is maintained at asubstantially equal thickness, and the heat abstraction effect isincreased over all the plate surfaces, since the liquid to be cooledrapidly moves across the plate surface area, no units or parts of theliquid being long out of contact with the cooling surface of the ice.

In order to prevent an excess iceformation. which would restrict theflow of water through the cooling device, I may provide any suitablemeans, such, for example, as the temperature responsive bulb 60, whichmay be used to control the motor 25 in order to terminate the cycling ofthe volatile refrigerant when the thickness of the ice reaches apredetermined maximum.

I claim:

1. In means for cooling liquids, including Water, a tank adapted toreceive the liquid to be cooled, said tank having side walls, end Wallsand a bottom Wall, said tank having an inlet and outlet, a plurality ofrefrigerating plates in said tank, said plates being in generallyupright position and being arranged to define parallel horizontalpassages extending along the tank, said plates having plane surfaced,generally parallel, generally upright outside walls, and a refrigerantreceiving coil Within and between said walls, means for cycling avolatile refrigerant through said coils and for thereby reducing thetemperature of said plates to below the freezing temperature of theliquid, whereby a layer of ice forms on said plates, means forterminating the cycling of said volatile refrigerant upon the formationof a predetermined layer of ice coating upon the exterior of saidplates, whereby said ice coating is adapted to constitute a cold storazemeans This is preferable, Y

for maintaining the liquid cool intermediate the cycling periods of thevolatile re!rigerant, means for maintaining the liquid being cooled at alevel to keep said plates immersed, and means for creating turbulence inthe interplate spaces, including means for directing defined jets ofliquid into said interplate spaces.

2. The. structure of claim 1 characterized by and including a manifoldconnected to a source of liquid to be cooled, said means for creatingturbulence including individual spouts extending from said manifold,each spout being aligned with and positioned to deliver liquid to one ofthe passages defined by and between the plates.

i with and positioned to deliver liquid to one of the passages denedbyand between the plates, said spouts being downwardly inclined toward 6the opposite end of the tank, the ends of the spouts terminating abovethe normal level of the liquid within the4 tank.

4. The structure of claim 1 characterized by each refrigerating platehaving a body of eutectic exterior to the refrigerant receiving coil andwithin the outside walls of the plates.

HERMAN W. KLEIST.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,765,387 Warner June 24, 19302,056,970 Leopold Oct. 13, 1936 2,221,423 Reinhardt Nov. 12, 19402,271,648 Kleist Feb. 3, 1942 2,448,453 Morrison Aug. 31, 1948 2,463,899Nicholas Mar. 8. 1949

